Pets Unstressing Passengers traveled through terminals at LAX to help relieve passengers’ stress Sunday, May 14, 2017, Los Angeles. Beowoof, a St. Bernard owned by Samantha Lynn, was a crowd hit as people were drawn to the big dog.
(Photo by Steve McCrank, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

“It’s great because the airlines understand what an asset (the dogs) are. It’s more than just being, ‘Oh they’re so cute,’” she said. “I like that we have this where they reach out to me if there is a need.”

During the massive shuffle of airlines that began Friday night, she and her 65-person army of volunteer handlers and their trained therapy dogs have helped keep passengers keep calm, if not happy at times. The airline, and several others, added the dogs to their litany of amenities this weekend while 15 carriers relocated within the airport as Delta took up its new home in Terminals 2 and 3. Travelers could also make use of a pop-up spa and free massages, as well as free snacks and drinks during the weekend.

Huebner said they generally stay spread out around the terminals, but sometimes she’ll get a call from airport personnel looking for dogs in a particular area to stave off passenger unhappiness.

And this weekend was no different.

On Saturday, only half of Air Canada’s reservation terminals were up and running after the airline began the early stages of preparing for its move to Terminal 6, Huebner said. Then, two of the working terminals went offline, and she received a call from airline employees looking for help to keep passengers placated despite rapidly lengthening lines, she said.

Tiffany Butcher and her 6-year-old French Bulldog Serjio have been on duty throughout the airline moves. Passengers show visible relief when they simply see one of the dogs in the terminal, she said.

“You see a lot of people who walk up tense and then they’ll start to pet him and then they start to say, ‘You don’t know how much I needed this today,’” she said.

By most accounts, the largest leg of the airline relocation project ran smoothly. A massive information campaign in the days and weeks leading up to the move kept passengers in the loop, and several green-vested Delta employees said the operation went off with a minimal issues.

Still, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Some passengers Sunday said they received wrong information that left them on the opposite side of the airport from their plane.

Stephen Vanelst was waiting outside Terminal 2 for a neon green van to transport him and several other passengers in the wrong spot. An email from Delta sent him and others astray, and he was trying not to worry about his flight to Tokyo leaving without him on it, he said.

The LAX shake-up isn’t over yet. The largest move went off Friday night into early Saturday morning, but several more airlines will head to new digs this week. Sunday night, Avianca, Interjet and Spirit airlines will make their jump to new terminals, and Tuesday Air Canada, Jetblue, and Hawaiian, as well as international flights operated by Southwest, will finish their relocations at the airport.

Airport officials recommend checking in with airlines directly ahead of flights to find the correct terminal, and arriving at the airport with plenty of time in case things change.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect the correct status of Air Canada’s move in the airport.

Cynthia Washicko started covering the Palos Verdes Peninsula for the Daily Breeze in 2016. Before joining the Breeze she covered business and local news for papers on the Oregon and Washington coasts. She’s an Orange County native and Cal State Fullerton alum who enjoys traveling and has a particular knack for killing house plants. Restaurant recommendations and story tips are perpetually welcome.